ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how organizations are implementing types of collaborative applications and how they are impacting the technology infrastructure. Collaboration, as it relates to teleconferencing, refers to the combination of voice communications with personal computer-oriented graphics, document sharing, and data. Group collaboration provides the ability for two or more individuals to gather around a virtual conference table to observe and work on documents, even though the individuals are at a distance. For most meeting scenarios, the real value of collaboration is in audio and data interaction. Collaborative application examples include coordinating product development activities, conducting desktop-to-desktop corporate training, collaborating on medical cases, reviewing new applicant files, and discussing quarterly marketing and sales projections with field offices. A financial institution is initiating a program to improve communication with 5,000 commercial customers. They are using collaborative software to share documents with their customers. Using the technology allows them to respond more quickly online without the need for fax, e-mail, or express mail.
